Also hydro-power has multiple advantages – It prevents the release of up to 249 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the earth’s atmosphere each year as it does not employ fossil fuels like oil and coal to generate electricity so it can play a major role in reducing our dependence on fossil-fuel based energy sources, it supplements the base load provided by thermal power plants, it offers low operating and generation costs, it helps stabilise the grid and it complements intermittent renewable energies like wind and solar. It is because of these factors that the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has estimated that ‘the world hydro capacity would increase by 60% between 2012 and 2030, from 1,000 GW to 1,600 GW, if all the potential presented in the study were implemented worldwide’.

Where small hydro-power (SHP) is concerned, these projects will have their share of the limelight in the years to come, like solar mini-grids, as an attractive renewable energy option to provide electricity to remote areas.
Hydro-power in view of the rise in India’s power deficit from 2.6% in FY16 to 5.6% in FY22, in order to sustain the annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth of around 8-9 per cent, as part of a long-term energy view to harness every available source of power generation and most importantly as part of an endeavour to reduce the carbon footprint while producing electricity, is a crucial component of the country’s energy mix.